--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Iraq is now the central front in the war…" description: "\"Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda.\" — John McCain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png" --- # Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda. ![“Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda.” quote by John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png) > “Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda.” [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The conflict with al-Qaeda has shifted focus to Iraq as the main battleground. **In simple terms:** Iraq is now the main front against al-Qaeda. Key Takeaway Recognize shifting threats. Themes security terrorism geopolitics Mood concerned urgent Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - military planning - media commentary Key Concepts counterterrorism regional power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does regional stability affect global terrorism? - What alternative strategies could address dispersed threats? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on Iraq may overlook other emerging threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [As you know, there are al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they’re moving back into Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/as-you-know-there-are-al-qaeda-operatives-that-are-taken-back-into/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed, it's fine with me and I hope it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/as-long-as-americans-are-not-being-injured-or-harmed-or-wounded-or/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [For all the criticism about warlords, it is now likely that Afghanistan will never again be turned over to al Qaeda to train thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/for-all-the-criticism-about-warlords-it-is-now-likely-that/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Iraq, for the first time, gives al Qaeda and its allies contiguous safe-haven territory to train and launch attacks into the Levant. First into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/iraq-for-the-first-time-gives-al-qaeda-and-its-allies-contiguous-safe/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [It was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001, not Saddam Hussein and Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-defazio/it-was-osama-bin-laden-and-al-qaeda-who-attacked-the-u-s-on-september/) [Peter DeFazio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-defazio/) > [John Walker, while he was in Afghanistan, told people his goal was to have four wives. ... Do we need any further proof that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/john-walker-while-he-was-in-afghanistan-told-people-his-goal-was-to/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [That's Al Qaeda's new plan: to destroy America one period at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/that-s-al-qaeda-s-new-plan-to-destroy-america-one-period-at-a-time/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [The way you really stop Al-Qaeda is by stopping their funding. It's not by carpet-bombing or land invasions or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/the-way-you-really-stop-al-qaeda-is-by-stopping-their-funding-it-s/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [The blame for the 9/11 attacks lays squarely and exclusively with the Al-Qaeda network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-granger/the-blame-for-the-9-11-attacks-lays-squarely-and-exclusively-with-the/) [Kay Granger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-granger/) > [I have never once been persuaded as to the causal link between the Iraqi regime, al-Qaeda and September 11. I do believe the impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/i-have-never-once-been-persuaded-as-to-the-causal-link-between-the/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [(The United States) is the same as al-Qaeda, under a different color flag, calling on the name a different God to sanction and approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/the-united-states-is-the-same-as-al-qaeda-under-a-different-color/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [There's more evil in the charts than an Al-Qaeda suggestion box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-s-more-evil-in-the-charts-than-an-al-qaeda-suggestion-box/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The people who illegally cross into the country are from countries that have very close ties to al Qaeda, whether it's Yemen or Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-people-who-illegally-cross-into-the-country-are-from-countries/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) ## More by John McCain > [I have the utmost confidence in General Mattis, General Flynn, General Kelly, Dan Coates. I couldn't have picked a better team. And so I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-have-the-utmost-confidence-in-general-mattis-general-flynn-general/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/washington-is-a-hollywood-for-ugly-people-hollywood-is-a-washington/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I think that it's important that we understand the importance of the Hispanic vote in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-think-that-it-s-important-that-we-understand-the-importance-of-the/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [It is perhaps my greatest hope, Mr. President, that some day we'll consider tax and spending measures with no one else in mind but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/it-is-perhaps-my-greatest-hope-mr-president-that-some-day-we-ll/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [This kind of horror has become all too familiar to us. As parents, Cindy and I offer our prayers to the memory of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/this-kind-of-horror-has-become-all-too-familiar-to-us-as-parents/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow. It sometimes causes us difficulties at home and abroad. It is sometimes used by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/the-truth-is-sometimes-a-hard-pill-to-swallow-it-sometimes-causes-us/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Countries, not just their armies, win wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/countries-not-just-their-armies-win-wars/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [My greatest fear is the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon and give it to a terrorist organization. And there is a real threat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/my-greatest-fear-is-the-iranians-acquire-a-nuclear-weapon-and-give-it/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/presidential-ambition-is-a-disease-that-can-only-be-cured-by/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [3 "amnesty" didn't mean rewarding illegal behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/3-amnesty-didn-t-mean-rewarding-illegal-behavior/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [On the subject of Osama bin Laden... we will track him down. We will capture him. We will bring him to justice, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/on-the-subject-of-osama-bin-laden-we-will-track-him-down-we-will/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [That's Joe Biden right there - unbowed, unbroken and unable to stop talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/that-s-joe-biden-right-there-unbowed-unbroken-and-unable-to-stop/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) [Explore all 539 John McCain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## More Al qaeda quotes > [There's overwhelming evidence... circumstantial and otherwise, to suggest a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/there-s-overwhelming-evidence-circumstantial-and-otherwise-to-suggest/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [“I do not go to church. I don’t go to Christian church or Jew church or any other church. I don’t go to church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/i-do-not-go-to-church-i-don-t-go-to-christian-church-or-jew-church-or/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [The people who illegally cross into the country are from countries that have very close ties to al Qaeda, whether it's Yemen or Afghanistan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/the-people-who-illegally-cross-into-the-country-are-from-countries/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [The White House was signaling that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein was of such urgency that it had priority over the crushing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-graham/the-white-house-was-signaling-that-the-threat-posed-by-saddam-hussein/) [Bob Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-graham/) > [I was on the front lines in the Cold War, and I was on the front lines in the fight against Al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/i-was-on-the-front-lines-in-the-cold-war-and-i-was-on-the-front-lines/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Some have argued that the President is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/some-have-argued-that-the-president-is-required-to-get-permission/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [Iraq, for the first time, gives al Qaeda and its allies contiguous safe-haven territory to train and launch attacks into the Levant. First into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/iraq-for-the-first-time-gives-al-qaeda-and-its-allies-contiguous-safe/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [The idea the president of the United States was warned that Al-Qaeda was going to attack the United States and did nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-idea-the-president-of-the-united-states-was-warned-that-al-qaeda/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [There's more evil in the charts than an Al-Qaeda suggestion box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/there-s-more-evil-in-the-charts-than-an-al-qaeda-suggestion-box/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Muslim leaders around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like ISIL and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/muslim-leaders-around-the-globe-have-to-continue-working-with-us-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [(The United States) is the same as al-Qaeda, under a different color flag, calling on the name a different God to sanction and approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/the-united-states-is-the-same-as-al-qaeda-under-a-different-color/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) Browse all 360 Al qaeda quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John McCain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war-against-al-qaeda/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Al qaeda" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war-against-al-qaeda/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/john-mccain-465_al-qaeda_iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war_1501847.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Iraq is now the central front in the war against al-Qaeda.” — John McCain", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John McCain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Iraq is now the central front...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war-against-al-qaeda/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/iraq-is-now-the-central-front-in-the-war-against-al-qaeda/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```